According to a report from Kuaitech on August 13th， Zhao Dong， a senior executive at FAW Toyota， publicly called out Xiaomi Auto on social media， stating that their promotional material had calculated the “wheel-to-axle ratio” incorrectly.
This candid executive not only pointed out Xiaomi’s error but also admitted that Toyota itself had miscalculated the data for its own models.
Zhao Dong highlighted Lei Jun’s error， stating that the wheel-to-axle ratio for the Xiaomi SU7 is 4 times， not 3 times.
“Wheel-to-axle ratio” has become a popular term in the automotive industry following Xiaomi SU7’s promotion. According to Lei Jun’s explanation， the wheel-to-axle ratio is calculated by the number of tires that can fit between the front and rear wheels. However， from a professional and rigorous algorithmic perspective， the so-called wheel-to-axle ratio should be calculated by dividing the wheel diameter by the wheelbase.
Although Lei Jun’s calculation， or rather his expression， was incorrect， one cannot help but admire Lei Jun’s marketing acumen. He has effectively “created” a new term in the automotive industry and claimed it to be “3 times，” which sounds particularly impressive.
Many netizens commented that such errors are often negligible.
From an expert’s perspective， consumers typically do not delve deeply into the precise calculation of specialized parameters like the “wheel-to-axle ratio”; they are more influenced by the magnitude of the number presented. Manufacturers using intuitive and impressive numbers like “3 times” can easily capture attention and create a stronger impression of the vehicle model.
In real-world commercial competition， this type of comparative advertising is a highly effective strategy. It is akin to the strategy of “Tian Ji’s Horse Racing，” where one can quickly highlight their advantages， even if those advantages are established under specific or even “unequal” conditions.
The approach is simple， direct， and yields significant results. Even Zhou Hongyi of 360 has stated， “All salespeople should learn from Lei Jun.”
